Thursday, April 01, 2010

Palak Kadhi -- Spinach in a spicy Yogurt Sauce

I have this low feeling this week, you know the kind of feeling that you are not doing anything worthwhile and the world is heavily deprived because you are not doing anything worthwhile, kind of feeling

But then that is not worth writing here, so I will write about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution instead, just to get it off my chest.

The weird part is, I didn't even watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolutionbecause I didn't know anything about it . But bear with me and you will be rewarded with nuggets of wisdom.

It was not until Saturday morning when the Dad started quizzing BS on random objects from the refrigerator that I got curious. The Dad was visibly worried about these kids in Huntington, Va who couldn't tell a potato from a tomato and had never seen a broccoli head. These kids belonged to families who ate fried donuts for breakfast everyday and had never seen food being cooked from raw ingredients. For them food source was the frozen section of the refrigerator. School lunches in this town was no better and pizza and nuggets were the staple.

I was so in awe by this whole idea that I didn't even scorn the Dad for watching Hulu while claiming he was doing "work" work down in his office.

Imagine there are families where the Parents do not chop, stir, cook, thus wasting their time to provide a meal. Instead they take out a pretty cardboard box from the freezer, zap it in the microwave or dunk them in hot oil and serve it up. I am sure the Mothers in these families are not like me and they are using their time for much more worthier causes than mine.

I am sure the School committee or whoever decides on the school lunches are also very competent and probably deciding on a rigorous curriculum while they think a pepperoni pizza counts for 2 grains and a vegetable !!!

Apparently Mr.Jamie Oliver does not like the whole idea. He does not like fried donuts for breakfast or obese 7 year olds for lunch(sic!). He wants them to eat food from scratch and we will see what happens. To know more, Topeka search for Jamie Oliver Food Revolution or catch the show on ABC Friday 9/8c

While in my slumped state I will just proceed to make a very simple dish, a Palak Kadhi, spinach in a yogurt gravy if you wish.

This is not exactly what I had planned on cooking. I wanted to cook a Khatta Palak that I had from a friend's lunch box. The recipe that she gave me was however so simple and sketchy that I was sure I would screw it up.

She said "Cook Spinach with green chillis and little rice in the Pressure cooker. Beat Yogurt with chickpea flour till there are no lumps. Season the yogurt with salt and red chili powder. Add the yogurt to the cooked spinach and rice and mix well. Add a pat of butter and enjoy the dish"

I couldn't believe that something so simple could taste so delicious and didn't attempt the recipe. Instead I made Palak Kadhi. With my bag of frozen spinach(ewww, not from scratch, losing points here), this kadhi was done super quick. It is just like regular kadhi but with spinach in it. It tastes great with rice but I will often eat this just by itself.

Here I must say that this seasoning that I use for my Kadhi these days is inspired by Hooked on Heat(who has a wonderful blog and has a book coming out). My Mom just used mustard seeds, red chili and a little ginger for her Kadhi but I love the additional flavors that Hing and Kasoori Methi brings along.

When the spices start dancing add the spinach and saute for the next 3-4 minutes.

Lower the heat to real low and slowly add the yogurt mix, gradually mixing the spinach with the yogurt

Crush 1 tsp of Kasoori methi between your palms and add to above. Add a pinch of turmeric and 1/2 tsp of Red Chili powder(more if you want it hot). Add salt to taste. Mix well.

Now add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water and let the gravy come to a boil at low heat. At low-medium heat let the kadhi simmer for 15-20 mins. Add more water if necessary and simmer until the raw smell of chickpea flour is gone.

Adjust for seasoning. I will add a wee bit of sugar at this point. Add about 1/2-1 tsp of ghee, switch off and let the kadhi sit covered for 15-20 mins. If you like it hot add some crushed dry red chili for the effect.

I love jamie and my hubby hates him and i tell him that is because he is jeamous bcaus i like the young jamie from the time when he started cooking.I too jope you feel better and i am sure after eating this dish you are feeling much better.

palak kadhi ..onek noton rokom er dish ..and eating healthy is very essential ..schools in England have proper meal plans and I haven't come across obese kids in my daughter's school ..I think obesity is catching up in Indian metroes like anything ,ready-made foods onek easily availale and going to big Mac is in trend these days..hugs and smiles

Thank god in my area, they serve some whole wheat rolls to organic fruits for lunch! The meal is quiet healthy and well planned, probably because of our healthy/fit Governor :)U sound low key, is that a April fool prank like Topeka or the wet weather?The spinach in yogu is something new!

reading ur piece i was just wondering which age was actually good...Modern comforts have made us toatlly chained to suck the last drop of ease. Life has really become too easy...But on the other hand life is getting shorter due to the maladies.....still we have to feel better and fight...

Yet another beaut recipe to try.Am going in search of some spinach.What does kasuri methi really do?Does it make a difference to the taste?Then I must search for that too.Love Jamie and waht he is doing.

Simple ingredients and simple process make heartening food and this is another example. Haven't combined curds with any greens till now. Will give this a try! I found it to be shocking even in India the culture of buying frozen food has started to root everywhere and I find my neares "foodworld"'s frozen section constantly being updated!

Hey Sandeepa, I was completely off blogging for a month and a half. And I returned today with guess what - palak ki kadhi! Decided to catch up on some of my favourite blogs and reached here!Realised that we have similar recipes, with a slight difference in spices. Hope things are going fine with you. Am still to post on the Paneer Kofta Pulao... hope to do so soon.

Hey San, we're still here in Bangalore. Moving mid-March now. And not to NJ but to Collierville, TN. In a way I'm glad coz it's a new part of the country for us and I have that to look forward to. Packing, sorting etc going on. Will keep you posted. You in India now? Saw your Vinod Dua comment.

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About Me

Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine